What Goes

Girls Do Hack is designed to emphasize to young women that STEM careers are an option for their futures. On November 9th 2013, teams of girls will work with women in science, technology, engineering and math careers at the Adler Planetarium.

SEEK is a one-day design conference organized by the students of NIU Vis Com to provide a chance for students to learn and interact with professionals in the field. The SEEK conference provides an excellent opportunity for students to learn and interact with professionals from the field in which they plan to enter. SEEK is [...]

Please Note: This event will be rescheduled! Katherine will be speaking at her alma mater, SAIC, on Thursday, November 14th as part of the Exploratory Languages Lecture Series. Come cheer her on! Katherine Walker (SAIC BFA 2007) is currently a Senior Designer at VSA Partners and has had her work recognized in AIGA 365, STA [...]

Typography, and its many types, is instrumental in the conveyance of things of all types. In the visual world that makes up much of our information age, types of letters, types of words, types of language, types of meanings, types of stories, and so on, all gain significance byway of typography. Types, a site-specific exhibition [...]

On Monday, February 3 at 6pm Jana Kinsman and Katherine Walker of Quite Strong will be lecturing at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Detroit. Cranbrook has a great legacy of innovation and has been home to some of the world’s most renowned designers and artists including Eero Saarinen, Charles Eames, Daniel Libeskind, Michael and [...]

From Patrick Creadon, director of Wordplay and I.O.U.S.A., comes a captivating look at a radically innovative approach to education. If You Build It follows designer-activists Emily Pilloton (SAIC Alum) and Matthew Miller to rural Bertie county, the poorest in North Carolina, where they work with local high school students to transform both their community and [...]

AIGA Chicago Small Talks are designed to be intimately scaled events that offer attendees the opportunity to learn about business practices, view work, and experience environments to local studios and firms first-hand. Register here. Thursday, December 5, 2013 6:00 PM-8:00 PM Trunk Club 325 W Ohio St. Chicago, Illinois 60654

Drink and Draw is Spudnik’s bi-monthly night devoted to drawing practices. There’s no teacher and no pretensions. They provide a theme for the evening and a theme drink. Attendees provide a sketchbook and drawing utensils. Bring your friends! Proceeds help pay for maintenance and improvements. Wednesday, December 4 @ Spudnik Press 7:00PM–9:30PM $5 Suggested Donation [...]

With the recent press surrounding the tech drama between Android and iOS, now is a better time than ever for designers, clients, consumers, and critics to join the discussion and really weight the triumphs and failures of each. At the Chicago Design Debates’ Android vs. iOS panel, Design Cloud will gather the city’s leading experts [...]

Please join us for an evening of inspiration from our 2013 STA Honorary Member, Charles S. Anderson. Charles S. Anderson is head of Minneapolis-based Charles S. Anderson Design, established in 1989. CSA is widely known for its partnership with French Paper, creating memorable projects that encompass everything from limited edition posters packaging to a dedicated [...]

An Event Apart Chicago is an intensely educational learning session for passionate practitioners of standards-based web design. If you care about code as well as content, usability as well as design, An Event Apart is the conference you’ve been waiting for. Join us for twelve great speakers and sessions, plus an optional day-long workshop on [...]

The Bucktown Arts Fest is a non-profit, all volunteer-run, neighborhood celebration of the arts—with no corporate sponsorship. Admission is free. All proceeds from the Fest go to fund, develop and support arts education programming at Holstein Park and in the Bucktown/Wicker Park neighborhoods. Celebrating its 28th year in 201, the Bucktown Arts fest has grown [...]

With New Nature, Plural explores our relationship to digital tools through a sequence of intimate interactions with electronic devices. Each installation challenges a different experience with technology, immersing the viewer in a narrative guided by the human senses. The gallery is lit only through the digital works themselves, transforming it into a liminal space between [...]

The AIGA Chicago Mentor program is back in full swing for the Summer! Connect with other creatives, share resources with the people in your community, give back and maybe even collaborate on a project or two. If you’re looking to be more involved, the Mentor program is for you. Greater Good Studio 2864 N. Milwaukee [...]

For many, the compulsion to create is constant. It’s unstoppable. Beyond the hours at the office, we create, we make–we play. In an attempt to find our own voice, we may stumble upon a visual language that can speak for and, perhaps, inspire others. This year, we celebrate the blurred line between work and play. [...]

Build a business that lasts: A successful company is more than just a product, customers, and revenue. It’s a business that provides an efficient, reciprocating workplace for its employees. This workshop reviews the best practices needed to get a company up and running and on the road towards a self-sustaining workplace where employees and employer [...]

It’s baaaaaccckk! Moxie Conference is back in its second year, bigger and better than ever! Moxie Conference is all about inspiring young creatives while focusing on confidence and the business side of design and the tools you don’t necessarily garner in school. As we closed out our second year as Quite Strong, we kept our [...]

PechaKucha Nights are informal and fun gatherings where creative people get together and share their ideas, works, thoughts, holiday snaps — just about anything, really — in the PechaKucha 20×20 format. Drawing its name from the Japanese term for the sound of “chit chat”, it rests on a presentation format that is based on a [...]

We love Typeforce and it’s back in its fourth year! We were thrilled to be part of Typeforce 2 and Typeforce 3, and can’t wait to check out the inevitably awesome work of Typeforce 4! This year they are showcasing 45 artists creating 22 projects. Be there for Opening Night on March 1, 2013 @ [...]

As a collaborative of five female creatives, Quite Strong’s mission is to engage the design community locally and empower female creatives globally. With our recent move from a physical studio space to working via the cloud, we have plenty to say about the challenges of collaborating from two coasts. Hear how we use Apple products [...]

Hey Wisconsin! We are delighted to have the chance to speak at the Design Madison on February 21. You will hear from us on different aspects of engaging in your design and development community, some tried and true practices of getting involved with projects and people, and how to turn your connections into opportunities. Hope [...]

Chicagoans produce over 7.6 million tons of trash every year, and our city consumes nearly 500 million gallons of water per day. Buildings in the United States are responsible for almost 40% of total energy use, but those emissions can be reduced by 29% at no net cost. This is a clear and compelling opportunity. [...]

You Are Beautiful embraced the heyday of the street art phenomenon. The act achieved incredible power by being able to interact with the public on such an immediate level. As issues of potential destruction of public & private property arose (though, a wall Banksy might paint could fetch the building owner a small fortune), we’ve [...]

What does it take to get an app created in the mobile world that is also highly rated and reviewed? Learn from the designers of Orbitz’s iOS and Android apps (this includes Victoria from Quite Strong!) on how a highly collaborative team, focusing on an experience first model, have created apps that have been featured [...]

Our pal Nick Campbell will be speaking at January’s Creative Mornings. Nick works as a motion designer, photographer, iPhone app designer and educator. He’s the tits. Check him out in January. Location is still TBD, but keep checking the CM website for more details.

All of a sudden it looks like you’re about to graduate (at least, let’s hope so). That means it’s time to start thinking about the future. First thing’s first: you’ve got to make sure the work you’re showing around town is good. AIGA Chicago’s Winter Portfolio Review is the perfect place to do just that—a [...]

The AIGA Chicago Mentor program is back in full swing for the Winter! Connect with other creatives, share resources with the people in your community, give back and maybe even collaborate on a project or two. If you’re looking to be more involved, the Mentor program is for you. Register on the AIGA Chicago website. [...]

The Chicago Art Girls Holiday Pop-Up Shop is just before the holidays, where shoppers can find over 35 artists who create one-of-a-kind, handmade, high-quality yet affordable holiday gift items for all ages and genders, including jewelry of all types, clothing and t-shirts for adults and kids, bags and purses, stationery and paper products, housewares, ceramics, [...]

Please join us for an open house, demonstrations, and print sale with all proceeds benefitting the Hamilton Wood Type and Printing Museum. As you may know, the museum is being evicted from their current historic space and is asking for your support to make their impending move possible. Please consider donating some of your time [...]

The Hamilton Wood Type Museum, one of the most important resources in the American letterpress and design scene, has been given notice that it will no longer be welcome in it’s original factory home in Two Rivers, Wisconsin. They are currently working to raise the necessary funds to relocate to a permanent home. The Arm [...]

We are delighted to have the chance to speak at the Chicago Portfolio School on December 7th. You will hear from 4/5ths of us on different aspects of engaging in your design and development community, some tried and true practices of getting involved with projects and people, and how to turn your connections into opportunities. [...]

Join us December 1 + 2, 2012 from 11am-6pm each day at the Pulaski Park Fieldhouse (1419 W. Blackhawk St.) for the coziest Renegade Craft Fair of them all! The Chicago Holiday Market is always an especially festive affair – We’ll have hundreds of today’s greatest indie makers along with tasty local food + booze, [...]

Elle Luna is a designer in San Francisco who works with startups and technology companies to bring beautiful, compelling user experiences to life through product, brand, and storytelling. Prior to working with startups, Elle worked at IDEO collaborating with Fortune 500 companies across a variety of industries including brand, system, retail, mobile, financial service, hospitality [...]

SEEK is a one-day design conference organized by the students of Northern Illinois University and is now in its twelfth year. In the past, SEEK has played host to widely recognized designers including Paula Scher, Kyle Cooper, Chip Kidd, Jakob Trollbäck, Massimo Vignelli, and Debbie Millman. SEEK provides an excellent opportunity for students to learn [...]

SAIC alumnus Sol Sender (MFA 1999) is a Partner at VSA Partners and Acting Director, Digital Brand Experience for IBM. Prior to joining VSA, he owned and operated Sender LLC, where he led the development of the identity for the Obama ’08 campaign. His work as a designer and a strategist has been recognized by [...]

For creative types, a solid portfolio will get you everywhere. You pick the strongest representations of your work—the pieces that represent YOU—and send them off for judgment. Let Behance portfolio reviews and your artistic peers give you some advice on how to put your best portfolio-foot forward, before you send it to that awesome company. [...]

Lust Lister Kate Bingaman Burt is an illustrator and educator. She has been making work about consumption since 2002, teaching since 2004, and drawing until her hand cramps since 2006. Her first book, Obsessive Consumption: What Did You Buy Today?, was published by Princeton Architectural Press in 2010. She lives in Portland, Oregon, where, along [...]

With tremendous growth in mobile Internet browsing around the world, UX and visual designers are being faced with all kinds of development challenges. As tablets, phones and laptops with various aspect ratios enter the marketplace, can responsive design for all devices really work? Our October event will look to explore responsive design and its successes [...]

Julia Hoffmann is the Creative Director of Advertising and Graphic Design at The Museum of Modern Art in New York where she oversees brand identity and design for exhibition graphics, advertising, signage, and collateral projects for all of MoMA’s exhibitions and programs. She leads a creative team to develop design solutions that enhance MoMA’s brand [...]

Ada Lovelace Day is an international day of celebration that helps people learn about the achievements of women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), inspiring others and creating new role models for young and old alike. This year, ThoughtWorks is delighted to host this event for women in technology from across the city where [...]

Mark your calendars for an incredible opportunity to hear this year’s Honorary STA Member, Erik Spiekermann, talk typography and design. Erik is a world renowned designer and founder of MetaDesign in Berlin and FontShop, the first mail-order distributor of digital fonts. He is is currently managing partner and creative director at Edenspiekermann, with offices in [...]

Join us Friday Sep. 28th for a one of a kind deck show. This show will be open for One Night Only so don’t miss out! Gallery Opening/Closing, Party/Mixer. “Decked” is a group effort by 6 fresh Chicago artists decking the walls of the Chicago Art Department with their customized skate decks. Mingle with the [...]

Please join us for drinks and general cohorting. All creatives, techies, tweeple and alcoholics are welcome. Meet us at Aberdeen Tap where Wednesday nights are $5 burgers and $4 Great Lakes drafts — welcome to the Midwest! Go ahead, scope their impressive beer list. They also serve $5 Jameson shots and $3 PBR drafts, daily. [...]

Ink Well is a collaborative digital effort that aims to showcase talent in art, creative writing, and photography through rolling submissions organized around a bimonthly theme. This summer, Ink Well is celebrating its one-year anniversary! Come hang with us on Saturday, September 15 as we celebrate inspiration, and the incredible impact that art and creative [...]

Problem: You want to share your adorable kitten photography with the world, but you don’t know where to start. Solution: create a cat website with WordPress! This intro class will teach you everything from the basics of the software to what the heck a widget is (hint: it’s not a shape-shifting purple alien from a [...]

In the design community, we’re trained to find inspiration all around us. But often, we get the most inspiration from each other—and that’s precisely the goal of AIGA Chicago’s upcoming FUELED event. Held in a relaxed environment, the event is designed to foster conversation with your fellow creatives. Following a brief, rousing presentation we’ll interact [...]

Artist, painter, sculptor, and printmaker Roy Lichtenstein was a product of his time and place, which happened to be America in the 20th century. His work was heavily influenced by both popular advertising and the comic book style. Don’t miss the Art Institute’s incredible exhibit of one of our favorites.

PrototypeCamp Chicago delivers a full day of bringing together Designers, Developers, and anyone else who is interested in putting a bit more “build and create” into their craft. Are you a designer who wants to learn more about how to code but have not yet found your inner codemonkey? Are you a developer who wants [...]

Chicago summers can’t be beat. And neither can our design community. AIGA Chicago invites you to join us and celebrate both Thursday, July 26th on the rooftop of Twisted Spoke. While we may not be there for the smut & eggs, you’ll have a chance to learn more about what AIGA can do for you. [...]

AIGA Chicago’s Mentor Program is back! Katherine will be taking over the reins from the infinitely awesome Dawn Hancock. The kickoff meeting is on Wednesday July 25th. Register here: http://www.aigachicago.org/events/mentor-kickoff

Join us for Chicago’s favorite used book binge and browse more than 120,000 used books in more than 70 categories, most priced at $2.00 and under at the Newberry Library. Take home cookbooks, paperback mysteries and romances, histories, biographies, travel books, collectibles, and much more. This is a Chicago event not to be missed. Admission [...]

Answer: the ear! We’ve been itching to participate in a regular trivia night here in the city. Four Shadows just recently started one on Monday nights and we’re gonna check it out. Join us and show off your impressive knowledge! Or we’ll just wish we listened better in school and cry into our beers… Either [...]

Enter your work into the STA Archive 12 today! About the STA: The Society of Typographic Arts (STA), the country’s foremost regional association devoted to design and visual communications. Since its inception in Chicago in 1927, the STA has played a leading role in making Chicago an international powerhouse in graphic design, presenting seminars and [...]

Chicago’s first SheSays meetup will kick off with a discussion about being a leading woman in a male dominated industry. We will hear from three women with very different roles, all with deep roots in design. You will learn from their experiences how to be a fearless leader and take that next step in your [...]

Quite Strong is making an effort to throw some kind of rad event each month where our Third Thursdays left off. Now that we no longer have a physical space, the city is our playground. Look forward to more hangouts, game nights, doodle parties, and possibly some casual talks. Upcoming this month is a VERY [...]

Sonnenzimmer is the Chicago-based art and print studio of Nick Butcher and Nadine Nakanishi. Beyond their beautiful poster art, they are setting out to make a book. From their Kickstarter: We want to create a different kind of poster book—one that has an instructional and educational arm, one that embraces abstract imagery as a precise [...]

CreativeMornings is a monthly morning gathering for creative types. Each event includes a 20 minute lecture, followed by a 20 minute group discussion. The gathering begins at 8:30am with the topic presentation starting at 9:00am and everyone taking off for work at 10am. CreativeMornings are free of charge! The Chicago chapter of CreativeMornings is organized [...]

Join us for a night of rich conversation, spirited celebration, live entertainment and even an award or two as we round out Design Week in one of Chicago’s most distinctive spaces. Your friends and colleagues at AIGA Chicago request the honor of your presence at the Annual Meeting to be held Thursday, June 14, in [...]

Since 2009, AIGA Chicago has organized Chicago Design Week. During June, this week-long series of events will connect 1,600-plus members of our diverse design community along with local businesses, non-profits, students, the design-savvy public, tourists, and more. From studio tours and exhibitions to lively panel discussions, lectures and mixers – an entire week dedicated to [...]

The Weapons of Mass Creation Fest is the premier art, design, and music event in the Midwest. Now in its third year, 1,000+ attendees will descend upon Cleveland for three days in June to see 20 speakers, 20 designers, and nearly 30 bands. Creative professionals, entrepreneurs, musicians, artists, students, and fans will gather to learn, [...]

Through Her Eyes is a documentary photography and video project conceived to bring awareness and financial support to sports for girls and women around the world. The project was launched by Elizabeth Stanton to explore, report and record the voices and faces of women playing sports in developing countries. Join us in supporting this amazing [...]

If you like to boogie, and if you’re not doing anything Friday night, come on out to this electronic music show. Like a design event, for designers that like music, and not talking about design, and drinking. It’s the end of VersionFest12 and it’s located at First Trinity Community Center 643 w 31st Street in [...]

The AIGA Chicago Board invites you to join us for an open discussion about the role of our chapter in the design community on the evening of Tuesday, May 1. Together we will define the kind of resource we want AIGA Chicago to be. The session will inform the creation of a chapter-specific mission statement—distinct [...]

We are very proud to announce Moxie Conference, a one day conference to inspire confident creatives. Registration starts today, Friday, February 23, 2012 at 9:00am! Find out all the details, read about our fabulous speakers, get to know our generous sponsors, and register at moxie.quitestrong.com. You can also follow @moxiecon on Twitter for the latest [...]

You have most likely just graduated and are starting to interview to begin your career. You need to start making connections. Meeting industry people. Get critical feedback on your work. AIGA Chicago’s Spring Portfolio Review is the place to get all this and maybe even a little more! Elaine and Jana will be reviewing from [...]

Industry Events 2012 is a free series of college-wide receptions where the Chicago creative community is invited on campus to network with Columbia College’s graduating seniors. These events provide a perfect moment for the new professionals leaving Columbia to share a few work samples and a few minutes with established professionals in the professions they’ve [...]

TYPEFORCE is the annual showcase of emerging typographic artists. This time around Jana and Katherine will be participating with different pieces. Katherine is partnering with Brandt Brinkerhoff for a poster series. We’re all thrilled to be included among some awesome local designers this year. For the full lineup, visit: http://typeforcechicago.com/ Opening Night March 30, 2012 [...]

Our very own Elaine is on a panel discussion at CRAVE chat this month. Women: Collaborators or Competitors? More women are becoming entrepreneurs in this economy—and are finding ways to persevere. This month, we want our community to weigh in on whether or not the old stereotypes of women in the workforce still persist. Do [...]

I Made This For You is an internal declaration that can be translated to the world outside of the artist. Through his use of repetition, Matthew Hoffman’s newest work transforms exuberant designs into quiet meditations of assurance. Working primarily in his wood shop, Hoffman uses his most recent work to form a tide break against [...]

From AIGA Chicago: Join The Metropolitan Board of the Chicago Urban League, The STA (society of typographic arts) and AIGA, the professional association for design, for Diaspora, a free exhibition of art, design and music in observance of Black History Month. Featuring the works of: – Antonio Moton (art director – critical mass) – Jeff [...]

From STA Chicago: In today’s fast-paced digital world, does typography even matter? Or is it just another thing of the past? Western typography has been around for almost 600 years. As technologies rapidly evolve, what was once available only for type setters and typographers is now available to any 3-year old with an iPad that [...]

Chicago-based designers/print makers Sonnenzimmer and Winterbureau are opening the doors to their shared Roscoe Village studio for a one-day sale on screen printed posters, prints, and original artwork. For one day only, prices will be marked down to help make room for 2012′s new stock. When: February 11, 2012, 10am–5pm Where: 3605 N. Damen, Rear [...]

Artist Veronica Corzo-Duchardt’s Neche Collection is a set of minimal, atmospheric prints and print / photo diptychs that retell the story of her grandfather Neche’s life across an archive of his precious, quotidian possessions: shoe horns, graph paper, toys. After Neche’s death, Veronica inherited items that spoke clearly about his heritage as a Cuban exile [...]

Our friends at Plural have designed Volume Gallery’s first publication—Temperature 2012—a diagnostic of contemporary American design. Released in collaboration with the Museum of Arts and Design. Stop by at the release party at Saturday / January 28 4:00–7:00 PM At the Andrew Rafacz Gallery 835 W Washington Blvd

Our favorite ladies from across the pond are holding a mini-conference! Emerge is for women who love digital design and technology such as: graphics, web, mobile, apps, UX, UI and gaming. It’s a mostly online conference featuring live workshops and talks by awesome speakers based all over the world leading up to a super special [...]

Quite Strong is curating Support; a fantastic show comprised of Lust Listers and Chicago Artists’ Coalition members. Come for the incredible talent displaying work, as well as the other events of the evening. Support is presented by Twelve Galleries Project Quarterly Site #9 and hosted by CAC’s Hatch Projects. Twelve Galleries Project is helmed by [...]

The 6th Annual Renegade Craft Fair Holiday Market in Chicago will be held December 3 + 4, 2011, from 11am – 6pm, at the Pulaski Park Fieldhouse! Always free-to-attend and featuring over 150 of today’s best makers of handmade goods, the cozy holiday shopping spectacular will also feature hands-on crafting activities and food from some [...]

Paul Shaw, a design historian and lettering artist in New York City, teaches at Parsons School of Design and the School of Visual Arts. He will be presenting to AIGA Chicago in the next Designer as Author series. About the talk: The story of signage on the New York City Subway System is both a [...]

Friends of Quite Strong, Cybu Richli and Fabienne Burri, are holding a fantastic poster exhibition. If we were in Switzerland, we’d be there in a heartbeat! Commerce and art—this combination may be disconcerting to some people. The two realms may not seem to be an ideal pair, considering the economic objectives of the former and [...]

The Chicago premiere of Eames: The Architect and the Painter will be at the Gene Siskel Film Center. The husband-and-wife team of Charles and Ray Eames were America’s most influential and important industrial designers. Admired for their creations and fascinating as individuals, they have risen to iconic status in American culture. ‘Eames: The Architect & [...]

SEEK is a one-day design conference organized by the students of Northern Illinois University and is now in it’s eleventh year. The event is primarily coordinated by students of the Visual Communication program at NIU. In the past, SEEK has played host to widely recognized designers including Paula Scher, Kyle Cooper, Chip Kidd, Joshua Davis, [...]

Ahhhh… the lovely image of a pinup riding a bicycle! Skirts tend to fly as the pedals spin faster, an experience some of us are all too familiar with. But most pinups are only posing as cyclists. As a new chapter in bicycle pinup history, photographer Kim Capriotti and illustrator Jana Kinsman have taken real [...]

As part of their Design Thinking series, AIGA Chicago is hosting Alice Twemlow at Morningstar in October. Living in New York, Alice is the chair and co-founder of the Design Criticism MFA program at the School of Visual Arts in New York City and also a PhD candidate in Design History at the Royal College [...]

How exciting is this? An awesome night of food, drink and our very own Queen of Code, Jennifer Sisson! Here’s the plan for the evening: 6:30pm Gather, meet, chat, and eat food provided by Obtiva 7:00pm Presentation by Jennifer Sisson 8:00pm 15 minute site or code critique 8:30pm Head over to Dylan’s for continued conversation [...]

On October 15th, MAS CONTEXT : ANALOG will gather a group of emerging and established practitioners within the field of design who will discuss their work based on proposed themes. The event will include presentations by photographers, filmmakers, architects, urban designers, graphic designers and industrial designers. Speakers include Lee Bey, David Schalliol, Jessica Rodrigue, John [...]

The Renegade Craft Fair will once again take over Division Street in Wicker Park for the 9th Annual Chicago Fair on September 10 + 11 from 11am–7pm! Always free-to-attend, Chicago’s biggest and best indie-craft event will feature over 300 of today’s brightest makers of handmade goods, live entertainment, hands-on crafting workshops and so much more! [...]

We’re tickled that our favorite collaborative from Austin, TX is making a road-trip up to Chicago! Public School is teaming up with the Post Family for “Homework”. Homework features much of the self-initiated work by the five awesome dudes of Public School. If you’re familiar if any of these guy’s work, you know you’re in [...]

Moving Design, in coordination with Comfort Station and Active Transportation Alliance, and support from 35th Ward Alderman Rey Colón, presents a multidisciplinary gallery exhibition and public engagement campaign on the advancement of bicycle safety. Our Road is the culmination of a six-week call to action from forty-six of Chicago’s most passionate, fearless, and brilliant designers [...]

Rally your nerds for a cause and join The Nerdery Overnight Website Challenge! In 24 hours, and with the help of 8–10 other volunteers, you’ll provide professional web development services to a local non-profit in need. More information →

Quite Strong is having a doodle night! Come by for a night of drinking and drawing with rad people. All mediums and skill levels welcome. We’ll supply some newly donated drawing utensils and we have some printer paper, but for the most part, bring your favorite tools! We’ll have PBR for doodlers but you’re also [...]

TechWeek Chicago is a 4-day event where tech companies and early-stage startups will exhibit their latest innovations. Speakers will present on topics that range from inspiration and entrepreneurship to taking action locally. Be sure to check out the events that were designed for women in tech: SPARK is putting on a half day conference and workshop [...]

AIGA Chicago Small Talks are designed to be intimately scaled events that offer attendees the opportunity to learn about business practices, view work and experience environments to local studios and firms first-hand. This time around they are featuring one of our favorites: Plural Design. Go see Jeremiah and Renata tear it up. Plural 1310 N [...]

Running through July, We Are Here is a weekly series of four multidisciplinary art and design situations with Chicago-based participants. Using the gallery as a workspace, the activities of product design collective Object Design League, artist-run project space Golden Age, designers Tim Parson & Jessica Charlesworth, and screen-printers Sonnenzimmer illustrate how the practical becomes performative [...]

If you’ve never been to a Show ‘n Tell Show, then you’re truly missing out on an awesome time. Not only is it educational, it’s funny, engaging, and in my opinion it’s an opportunity to see the Chicago creative scene at its very best. Big cheers to Zach + Mike, and dufcourse, Spokes Mom. This [...]

20 Speakers, 20 Designers, 20 Bands We are stoked to be speaking this year at WMC Fest! Weapons of Mass Creation is a young grassroots movement to inspire and enable the creative mind in Cleveland, OH. They believe that good things happen when ideas and talents are shared within the community. This mentality manifests itself [...]

One vibrant community. One beautiful room. One stimulating night. In Chicago, we mix business and pleasure with uncommon flair. On June 9, Lincoln Park’s legendary Park West will bring the two together, taking design-minded enlightenment to new heights. As the high-wattage climax of Chicago Design Week, the AIGA Chicago Annual Members Meeting will be equal [...]

Columbia College’s Center for Book and Paper Arts is putting on a lecture, panel, and workshop series discussing the history of type. It’s free and open to the public, so come out and listen or get in on the action from June 1–4. More information →

An evening of tug-at-your-heartstrings, rapid-fire presentations all centered on the intersection of design and social change. Join EPIC for the inaugural 20/20 and hear from leaders in the creative industry as they share, through 20 slides in 20 minutes, their experience and impact working on behalf of inspiring, world-changing social issues. More details from the [...]

We are excited to be participating in Marwen’s Career Day on May 14th! Each year, Marwen invites creative professionals to meet their students, families, & alumni to help young people envision the many possibilities to have a creative career. We’re stoked to be part! Visit Marwen’s site to support arts education.

At the mouth of the Tennessee-side of the Smoky Mountains National Park lies the Walker’s “The Cabin-on-the-Creek”. The cabin was built in 1938 and 1939 by Jean and John Walker for use as a counselor training facility for a nearby girls’ camp. It is located on a large lot which is bordered on two sides [...]

The Midwest is busting with creatives! The MDW Fair, a gathering of independent art initiatives, spaces, galleries and artist groups from the Chicago metropolitan area. The Fair will demonstrate the diversity, strength and vision of the people/places making it happen in the art ecology of our region. Check out the fair, it’s always a great [...]

On April 13, 2011, add your voice to an open, digital dialogue on design. One Day For Design brings together a global community of designers and design enthusiasts to exchange ideas, challenge viewpoints and push boundaries-collaborating in real time on the future of our profession and the organizations behind it. Spread the word. Moderators include: [...]

Slowly is a collection of works by Andy Luce that celebrates the creative process. During a time when hurried production takes precedence over the slow movement of an endeavor, it is essential to keep the appreciation of a craft alive. Beginning with an empty surface and ending with an inspired conclusion, each texture, layer and [...]

If you’re in Chicago, you shouldn’t miss this amazing street photographer’s work. The late Vivian Maier discreetly chronicled life in Chicago’s Loop and surrounding districts for decades. While not much is known about Maier herself or her reasons for keeping her photographs hidden, this first exhibition of her work reveals a keen eye for observing [...]

STA Chicago presents Local Legends: a small stage dialogue with individuals whose lives and careers have contributed to our rich design community. This time around the spotlight is on Chicago luminary Rick Valicenti of 3st. Join us at Columbia College Chicago’s Ferguson Auditorium to hear Rick speak. Should be a great night! Photo: Thea Dickman

There may only be one reason to travel to Fargo, North Dakota in mid-January: judge the ADDY® Awards. Katherine will be judging alongside Amy Jarrard of Olson in Minneapolis, MN and Jeff Joiner of 97 Degrees West in Austin, TX. The American Advertising Federation’s annual ADDY Awards program honors excellence in advertising and cultivates the [...]

You’re graduating soon and it’s time to start thinking about the future. Connections. Opportunities to meet industry people. Critical Feedback on your work. AIGA Chicago’s Winter Portfolio Review is the forum for current design professionals to review your work. Elaine and Katherine will be there reviewing books so please sign up and stop by! Chicago [...]

Brenna Hanly, is the new Mobile Catalyst at Mullen Advertising in Boston, head of the new mobile media practice that closely aligns emerging media specialists with the agency’s integrated creative teams. To date, she has lead several successful mobile media and creative campaigns, for Timberland, Ernst & Young and Foxwoods Resort Casino, among others. The [...]

The Internet has undoubtedly transformed the world we live in; its unprecedented access to and layering of information lead to greater interaction and engagement, and a complex understanding of our place in the world. However, this innovative method of accumulating and remixing data is also occurring across the fields of architecture and design. A fluid [...]

Calling all Designers, Artists and Drink-lovers alike! Reply All is a free party for passionate people in the creative industry. Our own Jana and Lust Lister Margot Harrington are featured speakers! Designer? Copywriter? Doesn’t matter—as long as you’re into drinks. Hosted by the always-awesome Mig Reyes. Evil Olive 1551 W. Division St. Chicago, IL 60622 [...]

Ring in the holidays with the STA as we host our annual holiday party & auction! This year we’re featuring auction items from Threadless, Axis Maps as well as 26 original pieces featuring alphabetic renderings from firms and designers from Rick Valicenti (Thirst), Jessica Hische, Mark Simonson, Faust, Firebelly and Design Kitchen! Check out the [...]

In partnership with The Impossible Project, Design Bureau magazine will celebrate inspiration behind instant film as featured in the November/December issue. They’ve gathered a select group of artistic professionals (including KK) to exhibit their creative process on instant film. Using The Impossible Project cameras, each participant will capture a moment every hour for eight hours—be [...]

How are women and girls reshaping the future? The first ever TEDWomen invites men and women to explore this question in depth: From the developing world, where a single micro-loan to a single girl can transform a village; to the West, where generations of educated women are transforming entire industries. The diverse international program takes [...]

SEEK is a one-day design conference that has been organized by the students of Northern Illinois University for ten years. The event is run by the Visual Communication program at NIU. In the past, SEEK has played host to widely recognized designers including Paula Scher, Kyle Cooper, Chip Kidd, Joshua Davis, and in the past [...]

TyK [Thought You Knew] Project was created to address modern day stereotypes of women. Frustrated with being pegged as either mechanically savvy but asexual, or cute but inept with their bikes, these PinUps showcase the dual nature that women cyclists embody. The Ladies of TyK are everyday cyclists. They are not models. These women ride [...]

Our photographer buddy, the very talented Kyle LaMere (of iShootRockstars), took a photo of every person who visited his home for one year. He called it Visitors. Now it’s an awesome book. Our very own Elaine is even included! It’s a great opportunity to see the creative community come together to interact and to help [...]

Brittany Steiner, one of our Lust Listers, will be showing with other strong emerging artists next Friday at 1414 N. Kingsbury! come out and warm up with some live music, drinks, and awesome art from awesome people!

Every weekend, cities all over the world are holding exciting and successful Startup Weekends. Checkout the Startup Weekend website to follow the action and be sure to read about the details of the organization and Chicago’s local event. Startup Weekend recruits a highly motivated group of developers, business managers, startup enthusiasts, marketing gurus, graphic artists [...]

Unicorns Return to the Paramount! Hosted by @typodactyl and @typeis4lovers Please join us for drinks and general cohorting. Any and all creative professionals be it designer or developer are welcome. Meet us at the Paramount Room where Wednesday nights are Amish fried chicken and $2 cans o’ PBR. They also have a killer $9 Kobe [...]

Victoria and Katherine are taking a field trip to New York City on November 5th to attend an event organized by UnderConsideration: the Brand New Conference. The Brand New Conference is a one-day event focusing on the practice of corporate and brand identity—a direct extension of the popular blog, Brand New. We will be posting [...]

Come celebrate Chicago-area designers and their work as they are included into the Chicago Design Archive. The Quite Strong ladies will be there because the Archive party is always a good time. Hope to see you there! Chicago Portfolio School 25 West Hubbard Archive10 Panel of Judges Renata Graw, Chicago, Plural Maria Grillo, Chicago, The [...]

Ag47 is an arts mentorship program serving pre-teen and teenage girls in the Chicago, IL neighborhood of Logan Square. They meet regularly to create and share art together. As a collective of women artists, Ag47 knows that collaborative creation can help young women see their power as shapers of their community. Through mentorship, they have the opportunity [...]

For the past eight weeks, Victoria has been working feverishly for EPIC. EPIC helps creative professionals and nonprofits join forces, making a bigger impact on the world than either could alone. During what they call an “8-week creative rally,” each team creates plans, programs, and materials—on a pro-bono basis—that their nonprofit client needs to positively [...]

Jana, Elaine, and Jennifer are participating in Two Night Stand, a 2-day, 1-night experiment where creative types (designers, bloggers, photographers, coders illustrators, video artists, etc.) converge to tackle a mystery project. Participants are selected based on expertise and point of view, with the entire process documented and shared online. The ladies will be sharing their [...]

To celebrate the launch of the Quite Strong website, we’d love to throw a UnicornsOMG! party at Edge in Wicker Park. Everyone in design and tech is welcome. Keep Friday, September 17th clear on your calendar. Hosted graciously by: @typodactyl @typeis4lovers Come toast with us! Since we are hoping to have many creatives in one [...]

Quite Strong is taking a road trip to Wisconsin to tour the Hamilton Wood Type Museum and take a letterpress workshop. Feel free to message us for details if you’re interested in tagging along the weekend of September 11th. About Hamilton: Operated by volunteers of the Two Rivers Historical Society, the Hamilton Wood Type and [...]

Hi, we’re new here. Interested to know more about us than what’s on the about page? We’ll be on Design Chat on Wednesday, September 1st at 8pm (Central Time). We will be chatting via live satellite technology with Ryan McGovern. We wanted to use the hologram machine, but it’s in the shop. The most exciting [...]

Jana Kinsman‘s doodles are uncomplicated in concept and charmingly sweet. In this move from pen and paper to the Whistler’s store-front windows, she draws her inspiration from the bar’s clientele. As a lifelong Midwesterner, Jana appreciates the fortitude of the Chicagoan who waits in the wintry cold for a warm spot and a stiff drink. [...]